That Stupid Headband
by cecilyp7
Summary: That stupid, stupid headband. I want nothing more than to reach over and tear it off his little head and throw it into the campfire. I hate that it hides his arrow, his identity. He's an airbender. My airbender. No one should be allowed to take that away, especially a flimsy fire nation cloth.


**Hey everyone, yes I am alive. And yes, I am still working on my main story, Bittersweet Reunion. Sorry to leave you all in such an evil cliffhanger. But the next chapter will be beautifully long, and a good one. I swear. **

**Here's a little one shot I instantly thought of while watching The Headband. I think it should have ended like this. Then again, I think every episode should have ended like this.**

**Sorry I've been so terrible at updating, I came across a new series of books to read. I have been dealing with post-Hunger Games syndrome, so you should all be proud of me for picking up a new series. Although, be proud no more, because the new books series I am reading is...yes.. Fifty Shades of Grey. And holy lord, is it insane. To those of you 18+, I recommend reading it. If you're younger...I'd steer clear for a few years. **

**Also, I saw Magic Mike.**

**I've been a bad girl ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

**P.S.: I hate that I wasn't at the ComicCon.**

* * *

"I'm going to throw them…a secret dance party!" Aang exclaims, throwing his hands up wildly into the air.

I try my hardest not to burst out laughing. A secret dance party? With Fire Nation children? You're not serious? Sokka fixes that problem by breaking the awkward silence.

"Go to your room!" He yells, his finger pointing towards the back of the cave we are hiding out in. I roll my eyes. Him and his ridiculous Wang Fire disguise. He hasn't taken that stupid beard off since our conference with the Headmaster at Aang's…um, school. I don't really understand why Aang wants to go to a school full of a bunch of spoiled Fire Nation kids. It's a dangerous and reckless idea!

_Katara, you're just bitter that Aang asked if you could pretend to be his mother. And that is the last thing you want Aang to see you as._

I mentally slap my conscious. I sigh, tired of these strange thoughts constantly probing me lately. They all started ever since Aang woke up from his three-week coma.

"Sokka, I know you think it's a stupid idea, but come on! We haven't done anything fun and time-wasting in so long!" Aang argues, slapping his hands together, pleading. Sokka remains scowling, stroking his beard. Aang shifts his eyes towards me and grins. I feel the insides of my stomach lurch, and my chest swell. _What in the monkeyfeathers is wrong with me?_

"You think a dance party would be fun, right Katara?" He says, still beaming at me.

"I…uh, well, of course I do…but don't you think it's a little risky?" I say, my stomach still in knots.

"Of course it's risky. But between Sokka's beard and my headband, no one will suspect a single thing!" He says, tugging on the fabric that covers his signature arrow.

That stupid, stupid headband. I want nothing more than to reach over and tear it off his little head and throw it into the campfire. I hate that it hides his arrow, his identity. He's an airbender. My airbender. No one should be allowed to take that away, especially a flimsy fire nation cloth.

Wait. _My airbender? What am I even saying? _I feel as if someone pulled on strings attached to my stomach, stretching it tighter. I feel sick, and I don't understand these feelings.

"Well…I guess I'm all for it then. Maybe it'll be fun." I tell Aang. He smiles widely, his gray eyes twinkling. _Of course, I gave in. I can't say no to a face like that. _"Come on, Sokka. Stop being so stubborn." I continue.

Sokka's face is still scrunched up. Toph nonchalantly walks over, and, with a swift swing of her right arm, hits him dead in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for, Toph?"

"Lighten up, Snoozles. Like Sugarqueen said, maybe this will be fun. You've heard of the word, right?" Toph says, putting her hands on her hips.

Sokka rubs the spot where she slugged him. "Yes! I've heard of the word fun! But…I'm just saying, inviting an entire school of fire nation spawns doesn't exactly make the cut onto my long list of fun things to do."

Toph snickers. "I hardly believe you have a long list of things that are fun. Do they all involve eating?"

Sokka pouts. "Ha ha, good one."

I groan. "Well, I'm with Aang. I say we do it."

"But you're always with Aang. Your opinion doesn't count!" Sokka says.

Always with Aang. I turn and glance over at him, only to catch him looking at me as well. That annoying feeling in my chest comes back. I turn back towards Sokka and narrow my eyes at him.

"My opinion counts for everything! Clean up your mess, we're going to throw this dance party! And, if you disagree, I'll hold off on buying meat for an entire week!" I say, jabbing a finger in his direction. Sokka's mouth gapes open, and then quickly closes.

He rolls his eyes and sighs, knowing when he's beat. "Fine, but if they burn the whole place down, don't say I didn't tell you so!"

**o0o0o0o**

I bend a stream of water, and then freeze it into a small ice cup. This ought to work out perfectly. It can both hold the punch and keep it cool at the same time. I smile at my work. I'm such a genius.

"I can't believe we're having a dance party. It seems so, silly." Sokka says, as he is placing a candle down.

Aang ties that hideous headband around his forehead, covering up his tattoo that I love. I want nothing more than to stomp over to him and rip it off.

"Don't think of it as a dance party, but as a cultural event celebrating the art of fancy footwork!" Aang says, proceeding to do a funny little dance with his feet. I feel the edges of my lips turn up in a smile.

"They're coming! Everyone stop bending!" Toph exclaims. I halt my work on the ice. What I have done will have to do. I look over at Aang, who was towards the back of the cave where Appa is.

"Sorry buddy, you should probably wait out back." He says, giving Appa a little pat. I slightly frown. Aang is still wary of leaving Appa out of his sight. If anyone ever tries to take Appa again, they'll have to go through me.

Appa grumbles as Aang herds deeper into the cave.

"I know, you got fancier feet than anybody. And six of 'em!" He says. I feel my smile resurface. I quickly go over and sit next to Toph, Sokka standing just a few feet away with his arms crossed. I pick up two cups filled with punch on my way there. I glance over at Aang, who was now standing directly underneath the platforms Toph bent not too long ago for, apparently, the band Aang found.

Soon, all the Fire Nation kids pile in, and I quietly turn to Sokka.

"They don't look like little fire monsters at all. In fact, some of them look kind of nice." I say, sipping my juice.

"It's all part of their cover." Sokka growls back. I roll my eyes at him for the hundredth time tonight.

The music begins filling the entire cave. I shift my eyes over to the rock platforms, only to realize there were a few kids standing on top of the pillars, each of them playing a different instrument. They are really good.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Flamey O's!" Aang yells, presenting the band with a wave of his arms. "Yeah, this ought to get everybody moving."

I glance over at the group of kids. They are shyly standing motionless at the entrance of the cave. _Sheesh, maybe this dance party will do them some good. _The last thing we need is more spiritless and angry firebenders wrecking havoc upon the world. One of the kids finally speaks up.

"Now what do we do?"

Wow. They really are hopeless.

"This is when you start dancing." Aang simply says.

"I don't think my parents want me dancing in a cave…" Another kid says, sinking into his collar. I try my best not to groan and roll my eyes.

Another kid runs up. "Yeah! What if someone finds out?" His eyes nervously shift from side to side. I look over at Aang, eager to hear his response to these fun-deprived children.

"Oh boy. Listen, guys. Dancing isn't something you think about. It's a form of self-expression that no one can ever take away from you." Aang says, swinging his hand down in defiance.

My stomach clenches up again, and I reach down to clutch it. Am I really getting sick right now? I have never felt like this before. I try to ignore the queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, but it all surges back when Aang starts to dance.

"A hundred years ago, this was known as the Phoenix Flight." Aang says. He begins running low to the ground, his arms sprawled out behind him. I drop my cup and don't dare remove my eyes from him.

"And, this was the Camelephant Strut." Aang jumps from side to side, his arms swaying along with his movements. He does a somersault, and nearly plows into two girls. However, instead of backing away, they begin giggling. I feel the blood drain from my face, and I narrow my eyes.

_Am I actually feeling…jealousy? _I sit back into my chair and pick my cup off the rock table in front of me, and look back over at Aang. He finishes his little dancing demonstration with a backflip.

"Who knew Twinkletoes could dance?" Toph unexpectedly says beside me. I almost forgot she and Sokka were still there. I respond by just smiling. For some reason, I always had a feeling that Aang is a great dancer.

Aang continues to show them a few more moves, ranging from the Flaming Jive to the Fire Ferret Feet. To my surprise and disdain, he offers his hand to a girl in the crowd. I furrow my eyebrows when I see her blush, which was about as noticeable as Appa flying around on a clear, cloudless day.

My stomach flips when she actually takes his hand, and follows him into the middle of the room.

"And this is how they do it in the ballrooms of Ba Sing Se!" Aang says. To my relief, he releases her hand and begins tapping his feet from side to side, following the motion with his arms. The girl he brought over joins him in the movement. I look away and roll my eyes.

'Wow, they look pretty good together." Sokka says, his foot tapping to the beat of the music.

"Eh, if that's what you like…" I bluntly say, hardly trying to hide the envy in my voice. I sneak a glance back at Aang. They don't look good together at all, is Sokka crazy? I feel my muscles slacken in my forehead. Well…they kind of look good together. I look down and begin picking at a loose string on my new fire nation clothes.

"Yeah, that's it! That's the sound of happy feet!" Aang exclaims. I look up, and I gasp.

All the kids are actually dancing; moving! Well, if you call it that. I return to pulling the string on my shirt.

"Alright, go with that! Everybody freestyle!" I hear Aang say. I look up once more, and Aang and I lock eyes. He smiles at me, and slowly begins dancing his way over to where we are all sitting. I shyly look back down at my hands, not wanting to make the awkward eye contact with Aang once again.

But, I couldn't help myself. I glance back up, and to my utmost surprise, Aang is standing directly in front of me, his arm extended, gesturing me to obviously grab his hand. Is he…asking me to dance with him? I feel my heart do a flip. I quickly look away, trying my best to hide how nervous he is making me feel. I begin tugging on my hair.

"Oh…I don't know Aang…these shoes aren't really right for dancing, and I'm not sure I know how to-."

"Take my hand." Aang demands. Those three words make my breath catch.

I grin up at him. "Okay."

I reach for his hand, and his fingers lace with mine. He pulls me into the middle of the cave and begins leaning in towards me. _What is he doing…? Is he going to…?_

My thoughts are abruptly interrupted when he brings his lips to my ear.

"Follow my lead. Pretend we are practicing our waterbending; just go with the flow." He whispers, his breath tickling me. I could only nod, afraid that my voice will be far too shaky if I speak.

He extends his arm out to me, and I do the same, our forearms touching and our fingers sprawled out. We begin circling each other, and we swiftly switch arms a few times, flowing together.

The music, which was at first upbeat, dramatically changes, the tempo matching our rippling movements, as if we were one. The chatter that once littered the room was completely silent. It is then that I realize that all eyes are gazed upon Aang and I.

"Aang…everyone's watching."

"Don't worry about them. It's just you and me right now." He says, his eyes half lidded in a way that makes my heart flutter. I feel my cheeks burn up in response to what he just said, which was so unlike him. I shrug it off, and give him a sultry smile of my own in return.

We begin moving again, flowing to the sound of the new and intimate music that is being played specifically for us. I keep my eyes glued on him, trying to mirror his every movement with my own. I close my eyes and let the music carry me, and soon, I am incorporating my own twists, turns and jumps into our dance. I take a step forward and Aang does as well, which causes us to bring our faces not even inches away from each other. Instead of letting my nerves break me away from him, I let out a small smile and then swiftly turn back into our dance. I twirl and jump a few more times, but I am too engrossed in watching Aang to realize what steps and what turns to make in our dance, letting my subconscious take the reins.

I am brought back to reality by the electrifying touch of Aang's hand in mine as he pulls me into his arms and dips me for the finish. We are breathing rather hard, physically exhausted by the dancing and also partially to how hot the room has become.

I focus on nothing but the sound of Aang's breathing, and after a few moments of relishing in each other, he lifts me back up onto my feet. But I do not move my stare from his. As if some other spirit takes over my body, I fumble and clutch his hand in mine, and begin pulling him towards the back of the cave. The music resumes to its original tune, and the mindless chatter starts up once again.

Our hands are still entwined as I pull him deeper into the back, past Appa and Momo, who both make noises in regards to our sudden presence. But, I ignore them. I ignore the dance party that is taking place just a few feet away. I ignore the usual shy and confused Katara for a little while longer, leaving her far behind. _It's time for bold and full-of-clarity Katara._

"K-Katara?" Is everything alright?" Aang asks, his voice ringing with complete nervousness. His bravery and suaveness that was evident out there during our dance quickly faded. But I ignore him, too.

I swing him around, and push him on the rock wall in front of me. His eyes are wide open, clearly confused about the situation at hand.

"Katara, what's wron – Mmm!"

I press my lips against his, pushing both of our bodies forcefully against the rock wall. His lips are, at first, still against mine, due to what I'm assuming is pure shock. But soon enough, they begin moving slowly against mine, and his arms snake around my waist, pulling me closer. I lace my hands in his hair, only to be stopped by his blasted headband. I furrow my eyebrows and pull away from his lips. His eyes shoot open, and he looks at me, evaluating and interpreting my every move and expression.

I reach for the stupid headband and rip it off his head, revealing my favorite blue arrow that I know and love. I bring my forehead to his and run my hands freely through his hair.

"I hated that headband." I mumble against his lips, soon closing them once again with my own. I feel him smile into the kiss, bringing his own hands to tangle themselves in my hair.

I wasn't sure how long we stayed like that, kissing each other rather aggressively on the wall. I also wasn't sure how I managed to work up the courage to approach Aang and kiss him senseless. And I most definitely wasn't sure how happy Sokka would be if he saw Aang and I making out in the back of a pitch-black cave.

But I was sure of one thing. Aang will most definitely need a new headband.


End file.
